Automatic uncoupler for car-couplings.



J. P. MONGAN. AUTOMATIG UNOOUPLBR FOR CAR-COUPLINGS.

APPLIGATION FILED 13110.13, 1913.

Patented July 7, 191.4.

LILUQEQL ivrmneso'rn memoir,

Speoflfioaeion of iletters li atenie Ewtented 1:

Application filed December 13, I9i'3'.- serial o. 306,42322 To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, JOHN P. MoNoAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Uncouplers for Ger-ijlouplers; ll donereby declare the following to he a. full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make end use the same. K

My invention has for its object to provide an utoinatic uncoupler for cor couplers; end, to this end, it consists of the novel devices andcoinbinetions of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanyin drawings, which illustrate the invention, i-ilt'e characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drowingfez l iguro l is a View in side elevation, showing the invention applied in working position to e car and car coupler, some parts being; broken away, some parts being. sectioned, and still other parts indicated in difierent positions by means or dotted lines; Fig. 2?; s an end elevation of the same; and Fig. 3 is 11 plan View of the coupler, some perts being; hrolren away.

The numeral 3. indicates e car equipped with a coupler 3 of the Master Car Builders type. The coupler 3 is shown in e locked position, and its knuckle and lock dog are indicated, respectively, by the numerals l and 5.

Journaled in a pair of bearings 6, secured to one end of the ear 1, is a horizontally ere tended rock shaft 7, having at its outer end a hand lever extension the outside of the car 1. At its inner end, the rock shaft *4 is provided with a laterally extended crank arm 9, the free end of which terminates directly above the lock dog 5. Pivotally attached to the free end of the crank arm 9 is e dependine headed plunger 10, which Works in a vertically extended tubular casing 11, pivotally'attoched, at its lower end, to the look dog 5. A coiled spring 12 mounted on the plunger 10 within the casing 11, and is arran ed to be compressed between the head 0 said plunger and the free end of said casing 11.

A. pawl and ratchet device is provided for locking the rock shaft 7 in at position to place 8 which works pastthe spring 12 under tension, as indi dotted lines Fig. The pawl 13 is ally atto-chedto a to the car 1, and the ratchet 15, in, form, is rigidly s adjacent to the on e In nncouplcars, the h turned into a dotted line posi in l ig. 1, lithe tail of the line on of frictional engagement with ,r dog 5, said lockdog will he lifte in operative position, to perm-ii t e to swing, on pivot,;when o :1

1 v cars separated. in case the tail knuckle e frici'iionaliy end l1 0l dog 5,, the spring 12 will. ii tension, when the lever 8 dotted line position. Said spr U ,dGIiEII-Slfii'i by turning the pawl 1- fnllline ooeition into engegcmen pawl 15, indicated by dc 1. A humping acti lease the lockdog from ment with the tail of the spring 153 wi dog out a knuckle 4, thus perinitti: of the care. To release the or ratchet 15, and thereby no? 5 to return to a normal one flexible connection 16 hetwee and" knuckle 4: of the this connection. is perinan the knuckle i by csfz-init or cored to said knuckle, and the othei end thereof is provided with e, pin 3.8, an em to be seated in a pei'forated lug; on she pawl This leg 19 so erren l to hold the pin 18 seated therein whe 13 is turned into engagement retchet 15, out the pin will draw out said lug when the pawl 13 drone into o operative position, end under move oi the knuckle ei when ere incompled.

l'n safety lock doe iii"? in use, it is necessa =y for case the dealt strain on e loci dog; ,s

as to prevent the same from. lacing ieised,

to signal the engineer to bump the cers, in 1th.

ment with the ratchet 15.

aftershaft having a crank arm,

ing the spring 12 of each device under tension and then turning the pawl 13 intoengage- A sin le bumping of the cars will release all 0 the held -5'1ock dogs, and the set devices will automatically lift the released lock dogs. At the same time each lock dog is placed under 7 lifting strain, the pin 18 on the adjacent .a car is placed 111 the perforated lug 1 9 of the '13. As the cars are then separated,.

pawl v thelock dogs are raised,,the initial movement of knuckles will draw the pawls 18- out' of engagement with the ratchets l 'thua permitting the lock dogs to be returned to normal yap lemons. A further movemen of the said uckles will withdraw the pins 18 from the perforated lugs 19,

- Itis' of course understood that each coupler of a car will be providedwith one of the improved devices. I a v a From the foregoing description, it is evident that the improved deviceinot only affords a safety ,lock dog lifting device, b'ut it permits a 'multiplicity. of cars to be uncoupled with a great saving of time.

What. I claim is:-- I 1. The combination with a car coupler of the M. C. B. type, of a lever-equipped rock a spring connection between the lock dog of said coupler and said crank arm, a pawl and ratchet device, for holding Said rock shaft in a pa sition to set said spring connection unde tension, to lift said lock dog out of engagement with the tail of the knuckle of said coupler, when the frictional contact between said tail and said dog is removed, and a, trip actuated by the movement of the knuckle of said coupler for automatically 40 releasing said pawl from saidratchet, to

permit said lock dog to return to an operat1ve position. a p 2. The combinatiomwith a car coupler of said dog is removed,and a trip actuated bythe movement of the knuckle 'of said coupler, for automatlcally releasing said lock' of engagement with the dog, when in an -inoperative position to" permit the same to return to an operative position.

' '3. The-combination with a car coupler of the M. O. B; type, of a lever-equipped rock shaft having a crank arm, a spring connection between the lock dog of said coupler and said ,,crank arm, a pawl and. ratchet device for holding said rock shaft in a position'to'set said spring connection under tension, to lift said lock dog out of engagement-with the tail of the knuckle of said coupler, when the frictional contact between said tail and said dog is removed, and a flexible connection between the knuckle of said coupler and said pawl, for releasing said pawl from said ratchet, by the open ing'movement of said knuckle, said flexible connection being of a length sufiicient to permit normal movement of said knuckle when said. pawl is in an inoperative position. v

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN P. MONGAN.

Witnesses:

EMILY MAYKING, HARRY D. KILGORE. 

